A Mercedes E-Class featuring a unique in-wheel electric drive system has been showcased for the first time in China. The Protean in-wheel motor system is a bolt-on solution which enables a car to operate like a hybrid and even provide fully electric drive for a limited time. The car called the Brabus Electric Vehicle, took part in a special signing ceremony to create a New Energy Vehicle Industry Park, jointly organised in association with the Jilin Municipal government of North East China. Based on an ordinary E-Class, the Brabus car’s additional EV system develops a peak combined 320 kW (430 hp) and 3,200 Nm (2,350 ft lbs) torque from pure electric power, using four direct-drive Protean Electric motors, one in each wheel. Protean is looking to begin low-volume production of an electric-enabled car in China from 2014. “We have a very unique value proposition: We can creat...